LIACS is very excited about this visit, and organizes for a small group of students and PhD candidates the unique opportunity to meet her over a special lunch hosted by LIACS on 30 November at 12:00 in the Snellius Building.
Since they need to know in advance how many students would like to attend the lunch, they are asking you register as soon as possible but not later than 26 November, by sending me an e-mail to: L.van.der.woerd [at] liacs.leidenuniv.nl. They will confirm your participation by e-mail, also indicating the exact location where the lunch will take place.]]>https://mediatechnology.leiden.edu/forum/viewthread/2171/#When:11:28:32ZMon, 19 Nov 2018 11:28:32 GMTDatawatchers event: Past, present and future of (y)our internethttps://mediatechnology.leiden.edu/forum/viewthread/2167/
Max van DuijnHi all,

We have a limited number of free tickets available for students and alumni. Just drop an email to Peter & cc: Maarten in the coming days, first come first serve, we need to inform Eye of the names a week before.

On request of Eye the presentation is in Dutch unfortunately - but perhaps one of you can design a Google Translate Cochlear Translation Device!

HACKING NATURE - ABOUT THE EXPO
What is natural, and what is artificial? The borders between nature, humanity, science and technology continue to blur.

Today’s negative impacts of technology on nature are evident, but can we imagine a more positive future where technology makes nature stronger? Where nature and technology blend into symbiotic lifeforms, and augmented ecologies evolve? How can nature be hacked for good purposes?

Creative researchers from the Leiden University Media Technology MSc program will imagineer new realities, combining nature and technology. This will not be a static expo, more a playful research lab that mixes scientific approaches to art with creative approaches to science, for all ages and audiences. The researchers work from personal inspiration and create physical works to explore concepts and engage the visitor, and to evoke ideas or questions. Many installations are interactive, some are early studies and prototypes, others will be more polished end products. The creative researchers will be around to discuss the concepts, inspiration, ideas and methods behind their work, and even hack some more on the fly.

]]>https://mediatechnology.leiden.edu/forum/viewthread/2123/#When:08:07:20ZTue, 12 Jun 2018 08:07:20 GMT[Jun 22] Fiber event &amp; open call: Art Assembly - Machine Learninghttps://mediatechnology.leiden.edu/forum/viewthread/2115/
Peter van der PuttenOur friends at Fiber are organizing an event on June 22 on creative use of machine learning. There is also an open call for works and presentations, See below.

As part of the first stage of the ‘Coded Matter(s): Worldbuilding’ series, Amsterdam based FIBER invites all artists, creative coders, developers, architects, musicians and researchers for an informal evening to showcase, share and discuss their work on machine learning, neural networks and deep learning (and artificial intelligence at large). What role could these systems play in the creation of art (installations, performances, compositions, film/storytelling) or system design (interaction design, data governance)?

Learn more about artistic and functional applications of self-learning digital systems, get get introduced to the fundamentals of the technology or get up to speed with cutting-edge practices. Expect a series of short presentations, demonstrations, cold beers and many interesting minds to meet. Bring your work and thoughts!

▶ OPEN CALL – SHARE YOUR WORK
Do you want to be part of the program and share projects, experiments or demonstrate your work? Get in touch with us.
Apply:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScMmiO7UyvJ00ML0TKru6c62gU-aOkS6oLUaIgWAxoZl8d3Dg/viewform

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Saskia Hiltemann completed her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science in 2008 and her Master’s degree in Computer Science in 2010.
As Junior researcher/PhD student, she is currently involved in cancer research at Erasmus MC in Rotterdam.

The Meet & Greet series is organized by LIAXX, the platform for female students within our Computer Science department (LIACS).
Our intention, among others, is to organize events where students can meet Leiden female alumni working in the field of IT.

We are increasingly confronted by the dangers and faults of the tech-utopia promised by Silicon Valley. ‘‘Smart’ soap dispensers that can’t recognise the hands of people of colour. Accidents with self-driving cars. Cambridge Analytica’s illegal harvesting of over 50 million Facebook accounts. On Thursday evening May 17th, Amsterdam based FIBER, in collaboration with the Vlaams Cultuurhuis de Brakke Grond, presents a new season of Coded Matter(s), which reimagines the narrative technique of Worldbuilding to explore how art and design can envision a better world.

Coded Matter(s): Big Bias is the first edition of the Worldbuilding trilogy and gives the public an insight into the role that makers (artists, designers, thinkers) and companies play in tackling ethical problems surrounding practices such as big data and artificial intelligence, and also explores the role played by digital art and culture in developing more inclusive technological worlds and applications.

In his lecture-performance, artist and queer theorist Zach Blas explains how big tech companies use magic and mysticism to conceptualise the application of data. The Flemish designer and researcher Femke Snelting is investigating how we can better understand the relationship between humans and digital infrastructures by considering how issues relating to race, gender, age and species are taken into account when collecting body data. The African-American artist, coder and writer Mimi Onuoha unveils the bias of authorities by showing which data they refuse to collect or choose to exclude.

Since 2013, Coded Matter(s) has been a platform for artists, designers, startups and cultural practitioners to explore cutting-edge artistic production and new ways of understanding digital technologies and and their impact on our world. In 2018, three events, Big Bias, Terrafiction and Engine Spaces, will explore the overarching theme of Worldbuilding though lectures and screenings. Worldbuilding is a narrative technique that originates from science fiction and transmedia storytelling and is used as an artistic method to reflect on complex problems such as climate change, circularity and human-machine relationships.

This event is made possible by the support of Creative Industries Fund NL, Het Nieuwe Instituut, MU Artspace and the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts.

Event info:

Date: 17th May

Time: 20:00-23:00 | Doors: 19:45

Location: Vlaams Cultuurhuis de Brakke Grond (Amsterdam)

Address: Nes 45, 1012 KD Amsterdam (NL)

Tickets: € 16 | Students: € 12 (no student card, no entry)

About Coded Matter(s)

Coded Matter(s) is FIBER’s ongoing events series that explores various forms of digital culture, artistic and critical application of code and digital technologies. It shares the work of interdisciplinary artists, designers, creative coders and thinkers and their making processes. Talks are combined with short films, project demonstrations and masterclasses to stimulate new ways of thinking. Previous editions have explored the rise of the blockchain, algorithmic culture, live coding in club contexts and how the shape and depiction landscapes changes with technological developments and computer vision.

About FIBER

FIBER is an Amsterdam based platform that supports and presents talented makers and thinkers who are operating at the intersection of audiovisual art, digital technology, music and societal issues. The platform functions as a platform for emerging young artists and connects them to urgent international developments, new public knowledge and work opportunities.